You Never Gave Me

So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends….’

Luke 15:29

A few days ago, we spent some time contemplating the spirit of the young man who said to his father, ‘Give me.’ Today, we come to the elder brother and consider his spirit. In our text for today, while in the midst of his rant about his profligate younger brother, he criticizes his father by saying, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.’ Remember, the younger son showed his selfishness by saying, ‘Give me.’ The older son now exhibits his selfishness by saying, ‘You never gave me….’ It is a different twist but it is the same root problem: self and selfishness. The manifestation of selfishness is totally different, but the issue still comes down to, ‘Me.’ By contrast, let us look away to Christ. Christ is the Son Who has, in fact, ‘served’ the Father. ‘He has not ever, at any time ‘transgressed’ the Father’s commandment. Beyond that, He has, ‘poured out his soul unto death; and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.’ So far from criticizing the Father for His Grace to sinners, Christ has, in every way, aided, and abetted the Father’s Work and rejoiced with Him in His Rejoicing over their salvation. Here is a right spirit, set forth by Our Perfect Example. Let us contemplate Christ today, that we may imitate Him.  May the Spirit of Christ grant unto us grace, that having beheld Christ, we may in turn show Christ-likeness to those whom we encounter.

Our most Gracious God,
we pray that You will today fill our vision full of Christ,
draw our hearts out after Him,
and enable us in every way to reflect His Beauty.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Divine Reasoning

“And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”

Luke 15:31-32

The Wisdom of God brings forth an unimpeachable logic. After the elder brother has ‘vented his spleen,’ in a nasty diatribe, his father reasons with him calmly and graciously. Notice, he does not even answer the son’s insinuations. He maintains his composure and declares, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.’ The harder parts of the conversation; that his son is self-righteous; that he is bitter; that he is judgmental, and arrogant, he saves for another day. For the minute, he acknowledges that the elder brother has his place in the house, and leaves it at that. He then goes on to assert the rightness of his rejoicing over the return of the prodigal. Here we find the Gracious Behavior of God, Our Father toward the self-righteous religious folk who cannot bear to countenance the ‘wretched refuse’ whom Jesus saves. Will they learn to cease despising the poor broken lowlifes who ‘made poor choices,’ and are ‘living with the consequences of their sin?’ We hope so. Maybe they will not today, but the same Christ, Who is Gracious, to the ‘publicans and sinners’ also reveals his Truth, in due course of time, to those ‘who trust in themselves that they are righteous, and despise others.’ There is but One Christ for all Who are redeemed. He, and He Alone, is Worthy.

Our Holy, Wise, and Gracious Father,
we praise You, that You think well when we think poorly.
We praise You, for the gentle persuasions of Your Spirit
Who takes the things of Christ and shows them unto us.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

The Sour Grapes of Self-Righteousness

“Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’ “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’

Luke 15:25-30

No good deed goes without criticism. Standing outside of the location of the festivities for the return of the prodigal son, was the saturnine, sneering, self-righteous brother of the young man. The father, desiring unity in his home, entered into conversation with the brother, whereupon the young man said, ‘So he answered and said to his father, “Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.”’ These are the sour grapes of self-righteousness, and they produce bitter wine, which poisons the one who drinks it. What the young man is saying is, ‘I am better than he is. I have been more faithful. I have even more consistent. I have been more moral, upright, and virtuous.’ He goes on to charge his father with inequity. He, in essence, says, ‘You have never given me credit for being so good. You have never been impressed with me as you should be.’ Here is the song of the self-righteous. For us, if we are to be this self-righteous, we must ignore our inherent sinfulness. We must disregard the demands of God’s Law. We must deny the Virtue and Value of Christ. We must elevate ourselves and do despite to His Person and His Work. This is the pride of the Pharisee, and the pitfall of the self-justifier. Christ came not to call the self-righteous, but sinners to repentance. We cannot simultaneously cling to our self-righteousness and embrace Christ.

Our most Loving and Wise God,
we confess before You our self-righteousness.
We desire that You should enable us to evermore look away from ourselves,
and unto Christ, Who is our Righteousness.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

A Gracious Reception

I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”‘ “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

Luke 15:18-24

Behold, the open arms of a loving father! Our scene for today opens with a destitute young man, reasoning with himself about the realities of his situation, and resolving what to do about it. He says, ‘I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you…’ Here is a humbled, contrite soul in search of a way back. He bows his once proud head, practices his speech of repentance, and stumbles his way toward home. It is fascinating that the father saw him coming. It is the evidence of the father’s love that he, the old man, ran to greet the wayward child. It is a testimony of the grace of the father that he rejoiced in his arrival, and restored him to his position. So also does God, our Heavenly Father do for us. He meets us in Christ. He embraces us on the Homeward Road. He has been waiting for us, and runs to meet us. His Love has drawn us. His Way has conveyed us. His Arms embrace us. He ushers us in to clothe us, adorn us, and feed us. He rejoices at our arrival and restores us to the position He always had prepared for us. What a gracious reception! What a grand reunion! What a delightful homecoming! Here is the place for you to be. Here is the reception which awaits you. Here is the Home you desire.

Our most Gracious and Kind Father,
we rejoice that You run to meet sinners.
We praise You that You await us with open arms,
embrace us fully, and rejoice over our homecoming.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

The Road Home

I will arise and go to my father…

Luke 15:18a

What do you do when you have come to the end of all your resources? We discussed this somewhat yesterday, with the intention of arriving at the presentation of Christ today. For this young man, there was but one road which would lead him to his father’s house. It was a humble road; a straight road; a safe road; and a homeward road. Here is where we must cross the lines over to bring to you, Dear Reader, the presentation of Christ. Christ declared unequivocally, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’ Christ is the Road to the Father’s House. He is a Humble Road, for you may not travel there in self-righteousness. He is a Straight Road, for there is no turning aside without failing utterly of the Grace of God. He is a Safe Road, for every soul who has ever travelled Him has reached its’ desired haven. He is a Homeward Road, for he will land you at the Father’s House. It is our great privilege and responsibility to point you to this Road. Therefore, we ‘cease not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.’ You are at an end of your resources, and at the end of yourself. Why should you continue in destitution and desolation?  Christ, The Road Home, is open before you. The Father’s House is at the other end. ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.’

Our most Holy and Wise God,
we praise You, that by Christ,
You have made a Way for us where there was no way.
We praise You, that Christ,
is the road by Whom we may safely arrive at our everlasting home.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning